Remarks at the
Annual Members Banquet of the National Rifle Association in Phoenix,
Arizona

May 6, 1983

President Gaffney,
officers, Members of the Congress, honored guests -- may I add with pride
and pleasure -- my fellow members of the National Rifle Association:

I'm delighted to
be here in Phoenix in this great, good neighbor State of Arizona, and I'm
delighted to be with all of you. It does my spirit good to be with people
who never lose faith in America, who never stop believing in her future,
and who never back down one inch from defending the constitutional
freedoms that are every American's birthright.

And while I was
thanking all of you for a warm welcome, I understand that in another room,
unable to fit into this one, are about a thousand more people that are
watching through closed-circuit television. And I welcome them and thank
them for being present. And it's wonderful also to know that I'm on
daytime TV and not the late, late show. [Laughter]

Before I get into
my remarks, I would like to pause a moment and report to you on some very
good news from another part of world that I've just received.

For the past 2
months, I and others in our administration have been closely involved in
negotiations in the Middle East. And this morning I had the pleasure of
speaking with Secretary Shultz, who is there in the Middle East, Defense
Minister Moshe Arens of Israel, and then I talked to Prime Minister Begin.
And they reported to me on the decision of the Israeli Cabinet to accept
in principle the agreement worked out by Secretary Shultz for the
withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon.

This agreement is
a step forward. It can lead to the restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty
throughout its territory while also ensuring that southern Lebanon will
not again become a base for hostile actions against Israel. Through
diligent and patient diplomacy, we're proving once again that direct
negotiations are the best path to peace between Israel and her neighbors.
I'm sure that all those who seek peace and stability in Lebanon will
welcome this decision by the Israeli Cabinet and will join us in seeking
wider support.

At times the
challenge of resolving the problems of the Middle East and the world may
seem long and difficult, but the alternative is chaos, conflict, and more
humane suffering -- human suffering, I should say. The United States is
committed to peaceful progress. Ours is the way of reason and negotiation,
and we will never swerve from that path.

I want to salute
Prime Minister Begin and the Israeli Cabinet today, just as I salute
President Gemayel and the leadership of Lebanon. And may I add a word or
two on behalf of Secretary George Shultz and our Ambassador Phil Habib,
whose tireless efforts and dedication to reason have done so much to make
this possible. Today we have crossed an important threshold on the path to
peace.

And, now, back to
business. And what an honor to be together on the 112th annual meeting of
this great organization. As a matter of fact, I'm honored to belong to any
organization that's been around longer than I have. [Laughter]

Not too long ago,
I had a very memorable visit from your officials. They walked into the
Oval Office with some members of the ``F'' troop of the Texas army. Now,
when I saw how those fellows were dressed, and what they were packing, I
didn't know whether to stretch out my hand, or make a run for it through
the Rose Garden. [Laughter] Well, it turned out they wanted to induct me
into the Texas army and to give me a beautiful, hand-crafted flintlock
rifle. And I thank you for taking such good care of it, because it's in
your museum now.

Being a part of
this group, you know that good organizations don't just happen. They take
root in a body of shared beliefs. They grow strong from leadership with
vision, initiative, and determination to reach great goals. And what
you've accomplished speaks for itself -- more than 2\1/2\ million members,
and NRA's getting stronger every day.

May I just say
that we have great respect for your fine, effective leaders in Washington
-- Harlan Carter, Warren Cassidy, and your Institute for Legislative
Action. We saw proof of NRA's strength a few months ago. Some of you share
a special blessing with me -- you're Californians. And you shocked
California last November when you mobilized to send help and to down
Proposition 15 and defeat it. You pointed out that police would be so busy
arresting handgun owners that they would be unable to protect the people
against criminals.

It's a nasty
truth, but those who seek to inflict harm are not fazed by gun control
laws. I happen to know this from personal experience.

You know, I've
always felt a special bond with the members of your group. You live by
Lincoln's words, ``Important principles may and must be inflexible.'' Your
philosophy put its trust in people. So, you insist on individuals being
held responsible for their actions. The NRA believes that America's laws
were made to be obeyed and that our constitutional liberties are just as
important today as 200 years ago.

And by the way,
the Constitution does not say that government shall decree the right to
keep and bear arms. The Constitution says ``. . . the right of the people
to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.'' [Applause] Thank you very
much. I wish I'd saved that and said it last. [Laughter]

But I believe we
share the same goal, a strong America, carrying the banner of freedom and
secure from threats to our domestic tranquility, economic well-being, and
national security.

No group does more
to promote gun safety and respect for the laws of this land than the NRA,
and I thank you. Still, we've both heard the charge that supporting
gun-owners rights encourages a violent, shoot-em-up society. But just a
minute. Don't they understand that most violent crimes are not committed
by decent, law-abiding citizens? They're committed by career criminals.
Guns don't make criminals. Hard-core criminals use guns. And locking them
up, the hard-core criminals up, and throwing away the key is the best
gun-control law we could ever have.

When I was
Governor of California, we dealt with gun control -- we added 5 to 15
years to the sentence of any criminal who, while committing a crime, had a
gun in his possession, whether he used that gun or not. Now, I'm even more
convinced than ever that this is the right approach if they're going to
talk about something to do with guns and crime.

I've said many
times that our administration didn't come to Washington to continue
business as usual. Either we make fundamental reforms that change things
for the better, or we aren't doing our job. We think it's time for our
loved ones to walk the streets of America without being afraid.

So, we have
declared war on organized crime and the career criminal element in
America. More than a hundred prosecutors' offices are working with special
teams around the country to throw the book at career criminals in court.
And we're determined to cripple the drug-pushers who are poisoning the
minds and bodies of our children. We want mandatory sentences. We want
firm and speedy application of penalties. And we want to abolish parole
for Federal offenses. But there's one thing we do not want: We will never
disarm any American who seeks to protect his or her family from fear and
harm.

You know, I have
to interject something I hadn't planned to say here -- but having
mentioned being the Governor of California, during a time when they were
talking gun control there in our State, I received a letter, a most
unusual letter, from a convicted burglar serving time in San Quentin
Prison. And he wrote and told me that he just thought from his vantage
point, where he was, he'd like to tell me how happy it would make all of
them if we would adopt gun control. And then he explained the inside of
his profession. He said, ``We can case a place, a home. We can watch and
learn the habits of the people that live there when they're in and out and
all of that. But,'' he said, ``the one thing that always sticks in our
mind that we can never answer is, is that one of those homes where the
fellow has a gun in a drawer by the bed?'' And he said that, ``That's the
one that scares us most of all. So,'' he said, ``there'd be a lot of
smiles in this place if you would adopt gun control.''

We are making
headway in our crackdown on crime. A recent U.S. News and World Report
story said that ``It may be no accident that the first dip in U.S. crime
totals in 5 years coincides with a nationwide crackdown on career
criminals.'' Well, serious reported crime dropped by 4 percent in 1982,
after rising more than 21 percent since 1977 and 254 percent since 1962.

Longer prison
sentences and tougher treatment are beginning to pay dividends. And make
no mistake: This is happening because you, the people, are fed up with
crime. You're the ones who are organizing neighborhood patrols, supporting
your local police, insisting that justice be carried out -- and every time
you do that, you keep the spirit of democracy strong in America.

This morning I had
the pleasure of meeting Arizona's Sun City Posse, a group which has had
great success roping in the bad guys. They're not a posse in the old-time
sense, just individuals who patrol their neighborhoods in their cars,
wearing hard hats and carrying whistles and flashlights.

May 15th marks the
beginning of National Police Week. I urge you and every citizen to let our
men and women in blue across America know we stand with them this week and
every week of the year. Another way NRA can help police is to support our
efforts for a minimum mandatory term of 57 years imprisonment--and perhaps
there'll be some disagreement in this, but I have to say it: for the use
of armor-piercing bullets during a Federal crime of violence. These are
designed to truly be a threat to law enforcement officers who, so many
times, have to depend on bulletproof vests.

We can't solve the
problems overnight. But since we established our Florida task force
against drugs, drug-related arrests have risen sharply. Just last week,
our agents trailed, and then landed behind a suspicious plane near
LaBelle, Florida. Two drug smugglers jumped out of the plane and ran away.
One of them swam across a canal and hid in the bushes. The alligators
didn't get him, but our enforcement people did. They seized 625 pounds of
cocaine valued at $187 1/2 million.

And let me
interject something here. I'm not one who often feels or too often vents
anger, but I want the American people to know that they're faced with the
most sinister, despicable actions. We have strong evidence that high-level
Cuban Government officials have been involved in smuggling drugs into the
United States. Attorney General Smith and FBI Director Webster have
assured me that they will use every resource they have to combat this
menace. And as we crack down on criminals, we're trying to move forward on
another front: to reform the firearms laws which needlessly interfere with
the rights of legitimate gun owners like yourselves.

We're working
closely with your leadership and congressional sponsors of firearms
legislation, such as Senators McClure and Hatch and Congressman Volkmer. I
look forward to signing a bill that truly protects the rights of
law-abiding citizens, without diminishing the effectiveness of criminal
law enforcement against the misuse of firearms.

Your leadership's
support has been important to us. Just last year, I signed two amendments
into law. One eliminated unnecessary recordkeeping requirements on
22-caliber rimfire ammunition. The other saved many custom gunsmiths from
financial ruin.

And I want you to
know that I'm in favor of the Civilian Marksmanship program. I support
this idea because clear back to the Revolutionary War, one of the great
talents of American soldiers has been their marksmanship. And it turned
out they developed this shooting at targets and plinking as young boys.
So, I'm asking Secretary Weinberger to study ways in which the
marksmanship program can be improved.

I'm also happy to
report that since I took office the sale of M - 1 rifles to participants
and instructors in high-power rifle marksmanship training programs has
been increased significantly. And I have asked the Department of Defense
to look at ways in which sales might be increased even further.

May I say a few
words about conservation and the group I consider the foremost
conservationists of our wildlife resources -- America's sportsmen,
hunters, and fishermen. As Teddy Roosevelt recognized, ``The free,
self-reliant, adventurous life, with its rugged . . . democracy; the wild
surroundings, the grand beauty of the scenery, the chance to study the
ways and habits of the woodland creatures -- all these unite to give to
the career of the . . . hunter its peculiar charm.''

Well,
unfortunately, there's been a kind of elitist attitude in Washington that
vast natural resource areas must be locked up to save the planet from
mankind. Well, we have a different philosophy, one based on respect for
both man and nature. Our administration believes in the concept of
stewardship, caring for the resources we have for the benefit of mankind.

Now, let me be
clear about those words -- ``stewardship for the benefit of mankind.'' We
favor economic development, but not within our national parks or within
our wilderness areas. We have not and never will propose that. What we do
say is when the last administration arbitrarily closed tens of millions of
acres of Alaskan land, telling sports hunters to stay out, then, yes, we
think that was wrong, and we're trying to correct it.

We're trying to
correct something else, too. A 1980 General Accounting Office report
warned of health and safety hazards in our national parks. During the
previous administration, the National Park Service budget for restoration
and improvement had been cut. Now, I don't usually brag about spending
money; but we have doubled it. We have the active support of NRA. We've
also addressed one of America's most neglected and serious environmental
problems, the destruction of our wetlands.

Our national
parks, national wildlife refuges and coastal barriers, wetlands, national
forests, and public lands are better managed today than they were just a
few years ago. And I think that story merits more attention than it's
received.

Another point
which should be better understood: The backbone of our conservation
efforts begins with American sportsmen. For over 40 years, hunters have
been paying a special excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition through
the Pittman-Robertson Act, nearly $1.2 billion since 1939. State wildlife
managers have used these funds to preserve and enhance valuable wildlife
habitats. Such wild creatures as the whitetail deer, the ruffed grouse,
wild turkey and pronghorn antelope, which were threatened with extinction
in many areas have been brought back, in some cases, to great abundance.

This past year
alone, American hunters have paid more than $107 million toward these
conservation efforts. The money will fund important studies of game and
their habitat. It'll provide food and habitat projects for wildlife. And
portions will go for hunter safety and education courses where our
youngsters will be taught marksmanship, firearms safety, and some of the
values and ethics of hunting and the outdoors. I deeply appreciate your
contributions to preserving our national treasures for the benefit of our
people and future generations.

This idea of
stewardship, of preserving and caring for what we have, bringing our
economy back to health so you, the people, can make us great again, that's
a crucial part of keeping America free and making her secure. Now, I know
that the road to recovery has been long and hard. Too many people are
still out of work. But I believe with all my heart that we have turned the
corner. We are on our way back. And like that fighter, Rocky Balboa,
America is getting stronger now.

You know, when I
see inflation down, interest rates down, tax rates being cut, industrial
production and productivity up, housing starts and auto sales up, and
workers being called back, 250,000 more people put to work last month --
now that our program is doing what we said it would, I have to ask of our
critics, how come they're not calling it Reaganomics anymore? [Laughter]

Yes, some critics
say nothing is right. They oppose budget savings, and they oppose tax
cuts. Despite the calamity they created, they continue to resist reform.
Their attitude reminds me of a comment a great American made about a
similar situation. ``Those who are frightened,'' he said, ``by boldness
and cowed by the necessity for making decisions complain that all we have
done is unnecessary and subject to great risks. Now that these people are
coming out of their storm cellars, they forget that there ever was a
storm.'' Well, now those words were spoken by President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt in 1934.

Well, I haven't
forgotten the storm that was raging around every family in 1980. With all
due respect, may I remind our critics: Those who saddled this nation with
double-digit inflation, 21\1/2\- percent interest rates -- the highest in
more than a hundred years -- the worst tax burden in our peacetime
history, are the last people who should be giving sermons on fairness and
compassion.

If inflation had
continued as it was when they were in office, a family of four on a fixed
income of $20,000 would be more than $1,500 poorer in purchasing power
today. If their tax increases had stayed on the books, and our tax cuts
hadn't been passed, a median-income family of four would be paying $700
more in Federal income taxes this year. If this is the liberal idea of
fairness and compassion, may the good Lord be with you if they ever have
their way.

President John F.
Kennedy said in 1963, ``. . . the largest single barrier to full
employment . . . and to a higher rate of economic growth is the . . .
heavy drag of Federal income taxes on private purchasing power,
initiative, and incentive.'' Those wise words are just as true today. I
will veto any attempt to tamper with the third year of our tax cut, or the
indexing provision.

And the other day
I had a very exciting experience when a Member of the Senate and a Member
of the House walked into my office, each presented me a letter; each
letter signed by enough men in the House -- men and women in the House and
enough Senators to guarantee the upholding of any vetoes that I might take
with regard to the taxing matters.

Indexing is the
best security middle-income families have against bracket creep --
inflation pushing you into higher and higher tax brackets when you get
cost-of-living pay raises and so forth. Those who would strip you of this
protection are tax-grabbers, pure and simple.

The United States
didn't run up a trillion-dollar debt because you aren't taxed enough.
We've got that debt because government spends too much. We need spending
restraint, not tax increases. I want to work with the Congress, but not at
your expense and not at the risk of sabotaging this recovery that we
worked so hard to achieve.

Nor must we
gamble, ever again, with the security of this country by neglecting our
defense readiness. The day I took office, our Armed Forces were in a
shocking state of neglect. I was surprised even though I thought I'd known
something about it. We had shortages of skilled manpower, faulty
equipment, lack of spare parts, and insufficient fuel and ammunition for
proper training. We had planes that couldn't fly for lack of spare parts,
ships that couldn't leave port, and helicopters that couldn't stay aloft.

I believe it's
immoral to ask the sons and daughters of America to protect this land with
second-rate equipment and bargain-basement weapons. If they can put their
lives on the line to protect our way of life, then, by golly, we can give
them the weapons, the training, and the money they need to do the job
right. And when it comes to keeping America safe and strong, when it comes
to keeping America free, there should be no Republicans or Democrats, only
patriotic Americans working together.

We've begun to pay
our military personnel a decent wage. We've increased pilot flying time,
extended basic training inventories. The level and quality of recruits are
up sharply with the highest levels they've ever been. By providing
adequate compensation for our soldiers, by giving them the tools they need
to do their jobs, we're restoring dignity, honor, and pride to the uniform
of the United States military, and we must not -- we dare not -- sacrifice
that.

The people who
disagree with our side rebuilding its military security don't seem to
understand: Our side is the only side where people are permitted to
disagree -- and that should make them nervous. It isn't America that
attacks and occupies other countries; we conduct no worldwide campaign of
subversion and terrorism; we don't have to build walls to keep our people
in, or use armies of secret police and gulag prison camps to keep them
quiet. We're a free people, a democratic people; we believe in God and we
love peace. But let us remember what George Washington warned in 1790 --
that to be prepared for war is one of the best means of preserving the
peace.

There's nothing I
want more than a verifiable agreement with the Soviet Union to reduce the
levels of strategic weapons. In the long run, that's the best way to lower
the growth in defense spending. But the Soviets will only bargain in good
faith if they understand we're determined to defend freedom. And I'm
determined that they will understand that.

Now, 9 days ago, I
addressed the Congress on the subject of Central America, where the United
States has fundamental and far-reaching interests. We must never forget
that two-thirds of all our foreign trade and petroleum pass through the
sea-lanes of that region. Nor can we forget that a country like El
Salvador is approximately 10 miles closer to Phoenix, Arizona, than
Phoenix is to Washington, D.C.

The people of El
Salvador are not perfect. They're made mistakes as we have made mistakes.
But they're trying, with great bravery and against tremendous odds, to
build the dream of a society like ours. They understand that government
must depend and rest on the consent of the governed; that only when people
are free to worship, create, and build, only when they are given a
personal stake in deciding their destiny, and benefiting from their own
risks -- only then will their society become dynamic, prosperous,
progressive, and free.

But El Salvador is
under attack. Guerrillas with contempt for democracy and armed to the
teeth by Nicaragua, Cuba, and the Soviets are determined to shoot their
way into power. We have asked the Congress for a modest package of
assistance for the region, with three times as much economic aid as
military aid.

But military aid
is essential, because the guerrillas are deliberately destroying El
Salvador's economy -- blowing up bridges, railroads, water facilities,
telephone, and electrical systems. These are not the actions of a people
who love the common man and who seek to reform their system. They're the
actions of thugs who trample the common man in their quest for total
power.

America faces a
choice: Will we give El Salvador her chance to walk beside us in the
sunlight of democracy, or will we turn our backs on a friend, letting her
slide into a dark night of tyranny, rationalizing our inaction with
detached lectures on morality.

Running away from
this clear-cut responsibility would reward aggression and bring dishonor
on the good name of the United States. It would swell the tide of
political and economic instability in Central America, creating a new army
of refugees, and bringing danger closer and closer to home.

I appeal to you
today: Tell your representatives they cannot remain indifferent to another
Communist takeover on our doorstep.

Standing up for
America also means standing up for the God who has so blessed this land.
If we could just keep remembering that Moses brought down from the
mountain 10 Commandments, not 10 suggestions -- [laughter] -- and if those
of us who live for the Lord could remember that He wants us to love our
Lord and our neighbor, then there's no limit to the problems we could
solve or the mountains we could climb together as a mighty force for good.

The United States
remains the last, best hope for a mankind plagued by tyranny and
deprivation. America is no stronger than its people -- and that means you
and me. Well, I believe in you, and I believe that if we work together,
then one day we will say, ``We fought the good fight. We finished the
race. We kept the faith.'' And to our children and our children's children
we can say, ``We did all that could be done in the brief time that was
given us here on Earth.''

Thank you all, and
God bless you.

Note: The
President spoke at 1:02 p.m. at the Phoenix Civic Plaza.

Following his
appearance at the luncheon, the President traveled to California and
Rancho del Cielo, his ranch near Santa Barbara.

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